Apple won't 'ship AI for AI's sake', new CEO John Ternus says

Apple's new chief executive, John Ternus, has pushed back against the widespread view that the company is behind its rivals in artificial intelligence, saying Apple will use the technology only where it genuinely improves its products.

"We don't want to ship AI for AI's sake," Ternus told WIRED's Steven Levy in an interview conducted on October 30. But he said Apple is "absolutely going to leverage AI" in its new products.

'I really like where we're at'

Asked about criticism that Apple has fallen behind companies such as OpenAI, Google and Microsoft, Ternus acknowledged that "everyone has an opinion", but said: "I really like where we're at."

His argument is that Apple was never trying to win the same race. When AI is done well, he said, it should feel seamless, not something users have to think about. He also framed privacy and clear benefits for users as central to how Apple approaches the technology.

Sceptical on agents replacing apps

Ternus was asked whether AI agents, systems that carry out tasks on a user's behalf, might eventually make apps obsolete. He was open to the idea but not convinced. "That could make life really easy, I suppose, but the creation of products is a deeply human and personal thing, something that we love to do," he said.

That matters for Apple, whose App Store is both a central part of the iPhone experience and a major source of revenue.

A new CEO with a hardware background

Ternus, a longtime Apple engineer who led its hardware division, officially became chief executive at the beginning of September. The interview came during the launch week of Apple's first touchscreen MacBook Pro.

The context

Apple has often been described as an AI laggard over the past two years, particularly after it delayed a more capable version of its Siri voice assistant, which finally launched this summer. Reports have said Google's Gemini models power some of the improved Apple Intelligence features under a licensing arrangement that does not stop Apple from using other providers' models.

Investors appear to have warmed to Apple's cautious approach in recent days, as companies spending heavily on AI infrastructure came under pressure in the stock market. The test for Ternus will be whether Apple's AI features win over users without the company having to match its rivals' enormous spending.